Astros Prospect Report: April 12th

Today’s prospect report comes with a little extra, as Quad Cities played two yesterday to compensate for Monday’s rainout. Overall, it was a rough day for Astros-affiliated clubs, but there were some bright spots regardless.

Triple-A: Fresno (3-3) 6, Las Vegas (3-3) 21

You’ll be hard pressed to find a more eventful loss in recent Astros minor league history than this one. For starters, Tyler White, typically restricted to first base, started the game at shortstop and actually turned in an error-free day in the field. White has good hands but it is still difficult to envision him at that position, where his athleticism is severely substandard.

White’s day got even more difficult when he was called on to pitch in relief of Andrew Aplin (yep) in the 8th inning. White recorded one out as a pitcher while allowing five runs, including a homer. He was one of three Grizzlies position players to pitch in this contest alongside the aforementioned Aplin and journeyman Reid Brignac after David Martinez and Jared Mortensen allowed 15 runs across the first 6 innings. Preston Tucker, Jon Kemmer and Tony Kemp each had a single and a double in the game, representing the bulk of the offense.

Notable Lines

Tony Kemp- 2 for 5, 2B

Derek Fisher- 1 for 4, K

Teoscar Hernandez- 0 for 2, Sac Fly

A.J. Reed- 1 for 4, K

Colin Moran- 0 for 4

Preston Tucker- 2 for 4, 2B

Jon Kemmer- 2 for 4, 2B

Double-A: Corpus Christi (4-2) 3, NW Arkansas (2-4) 12

It was a rough day at the office for the Hooks, who struggled in every facet of the game. Starter Cy Sneed was shelled putting the game virtually out of reach by the second inning, and the Hooks made 5 errors in the contest allowing four unearned runs to come through over the course of the game. No players recorded multiple hits for Corpus, and only C-grade reliever Michael Freeman had a good outing on the mound. This comes after a 4-1 start for the Hooks, so a rebound next time out is a reasonable expectation.

Notable Lines

Ramon Laureano- 1 for 5

J.D. Davis- 1 for 4, 2 K

Jon Singleton- 0 for 3, BB, K

Jacob Dorris- 3 IP (relief) 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K

Michael Freeman- 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

High-A: Buies Creek (5-1) 3, Myrtle Beach (4-2) 7

Coming into this game, the freshly-minted Buies Creek Astros had won all five of their games as an Astros affiliate. While they performed admirably in this one, recording 10 hits on the day, they came up short against a strong Myrtle Beach roster to take their first loss of the season and all-time. Myles Straw, Arturo Michelena and Ryne Birk continued their hot-hitting ways in this one, each recording two hits to bring their averages to .375, .364 and .368 on the young season, respectively. Jason Martin’s slow start continued as he failed to reach in four trips to the plate. Elisier Hernandez struggled as the starter this time out, yielding five of Myrtle’s eventual seven runs.

Notable Lines

Myles Straw- 2 for 3, BB, K

Jason Martin- 0 for 4, K

Ryne Birk- 2 for 4

Anthony Hermelyn- 0 for 4

Pat Porter- 1 for 3

Arturo Michelena- 2 for 4, K

Andrew Thome- 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K

Low-A: Quad Cities (3-2) 2, Peoria (2-2) 0; Quad Cities (3-3) 2, Peoria 3

Quad Cities participated in a twin bill with the Peoria Chiefs Tuesday, which included the headliner of the night on the farm- the full-season ball debut for 2016 first-round selection Forrest Whitley. The 19-year old mop-headed righty from San Antonio was no less than outstanding yesterday, going five dynamite innings of shutout ball, allowing just a hit and two walks while striking out six. Whitley still needs plenty of polish and likely won’t help the big league team before 2019 at the earliest, but his upside is off the charts and he is one of the top players to watch throughout the entire farm system.

Daz Cameron had a great day on the offensive side in game 1, knocking two doubles and scoring one of the two runs for the River Bandits in the contest. Anibal Sierra, signed as a free agent this offseason out of Cuba, ripped a double as well while also recording a walk.

In game two, the River Bandits simply couldn’t muster any offense despite only striking out twice as a team. All three hits came from former major-college stars- Carmen Benedetti, Ronnie Dawson and Stephen Wrenn. Sleeper relief prospect Derick Velazquez threw in game two, taking the loss after allowing one run in two innings.

Notable Lines (Game 1)

Daz Cameron- 2 for 4, 2 2B

Ronnie Dawson- 0 for 3, K

Stephen Wrenn- 0 for 3

Spencer Johnson- 0 for 3, 2 K

Jake Rodgers- 1 for 3, 2 K

Anibal Sierra- 1 for 2, 2B, BB, K

Forrest Whitley- 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K

Carlos Sierra- 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, SV

Notable Lines (Game 2)

Daz Cameron- 0 for 2, Sac Fly

Anibal Sierra- 0 for 2, BB

Chuckie Robinson- 0 for 3, K

Stephen Wrenn- 1 for 3, K

Ronnie Dawson- 1 for 2

Carmen Benedetti- 1 for 2, 2B

Derick Velazquez- 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K, L